Metamorphosis
by Nikaya
Summary: Shortly after the death of his father, Seth Clearwater isn't exactly having the time of his life with his own grief plus trying to help out Leah. This a short story about the origins of Seth. If this gets good reviews, I'll make it into a longer story.
1. Chapter One

"Leah! Wait!" I yell running after my sister.

She disappears out the door and flies down the porch steps heading towards the woods.

"Leah!" Before I can get to her, her shadowy figure vanishes into the forest.

She was crying again about Dad. He died while on a hunting trip. According to Charlie – his best friend – he had a heart attack. Leah's been crying every night since it happened. Today marked one month.

As I turned to walk back into the house, I was surprised to find that it had started to snow in the dark of night. I didn't feel cold, so when I went back inside our quiet ranch on the Quileute Reservation, I was shocked to find that I was outside in twenty degree weather for fifteen minutes without even feeling a single sting of the crisp night air.

As the floorboards protested against my weight on them, (as they always do) I passed by my mom in the kitchen. Apparently she was on the phone because something she said caught my attention. I stopped and listened for a minute.

"Seth's been handling it well. He's been trying to help more around the house and he's been trying to help Leah...Yes, he is very mature for fifteen. He's been so helpful lately. He's growing up so fast...Would you believe he could crack more jokes than usual to try to cheer us up?" she asked with a small chuckle. There was another pause, but as the floorboards beneath me creaked again, she turned and caught my eye. "Oh! Charlie, I'm sorry. I have to go...Thank you...You too. Bye." She hung up the phone and walked over to me in her bathrobe and slippers. "What are you doing up so late?"

"I could ask the same about you," I joked. She laughed.

"I called Charlie just to check up on him and Bella. They seem to be getting along better now. And your excuse for going outside in the midst of the night is...?"

"Leah," I said sighing.

She nodded her head and sighed before talking again. "She'll come around. She's been through a lot. First she loses Sam to Emily and this. We just have to give her some time."

"Alright...I'm beat. See you in the morning."

"Night, Seth." She kissed me on my forehead and went back to the kitchen. "Oh, and Seth...?"

I turned and looked at her. "Thank you."

I smiled before heading to my room. I dragged my feet across the floor as I walked to my room. It was silent, breezy, and dark outside my window, with the breeze making a slight howling sound on the glass. The twin bed in corner was undone, and the only other thing in the room was the three-foot-high pile of clothes. I forced my mind to pull my legs forward, and rather than getting comfortable under the covers, I let my body collapse onto the bed with a thump.

I laid there and let my mind wander to everything Leah's been through. She was engaged to Sam, and he said he loved her.... But that was before he met our cousin, Emily. He immediately canceled the wedding, and then, he proposed to Emily. It was one of those blink – and – you'll – miss – it situations.

Leah isn't just my sister...she's my best friend. She's ten years older than me, but we do everything together. Seeing her this way has been breaking my heart. She stays up crying all the time and says she wants to be alone. She never was this way before. Leah's always been so strong...so confident. She was the Redwood tree that stood forever, tall and proud.

I just wish she was herself again.


	2. Chapter Two

I don't remember falling asleep last night, but when I stood up, something was...different. Everything in my room seemed to have shrunken over night. The pile of clothes was smaller, my bed was lower, and I could see out the window more easily. I ran out of my room and down the hallway.

"Leah!" I threw open her bedroom door, and she was asleep. This was the first time she'd slept in weeks. I watched my mirror image sleep for a minute. Her russet skin was stained with mud and her hair as black as night was wet with melted snow. I shook her shoulder gently.

"Leah...? Leah, wake up.... This is really important..."

"Seth...? Seth! Oh man! I have to go! Sam's going to have a fit!"

"Leah! Wait a sec! I - ...Hold it. Sam?"

"It's nothing!" she said in a hurry. She threw the blankets off of her, and her clothes were still on from the night before, dirty and torn. "I have to go." She stood up and was about to shove me out of the way when she realized she was only up to my stomach. She paused and looked up at me. Her eyes were wide, and her mouth was gaping slightly. She backed up a few inches.

"Leah," I said, thinking the worst. I was in a slight panic. "What's going on? What's happening to me?"

"Oh no... Oh no... Not you too..." She paced about the room and slammed her fists on the dresser. "How do you feel right now?" The question was rushed, which made it sound less random, like she had a motive.

"Really freaked out," I said, with my heart starting to quicken.

"Any pains, anger, fever...?"

"Not really. I grew about a foot overnight, and I was warm out in the snow last night, but that's it... Oh man! That _is_ weird!"

"Easy, Seth..." she said too cautiously. She held up her hands in front of her. "I don't want to make you angry."

"I'm not!" For the first time in my life, she flinched at the sound of my voice. I took a deep breath. "I'm just scared. Leah, help me!"

She started pacing again, in deep thought. She paused. "Come with me." She took my hand, but I winced at the touch. Her hand felt like fire on mine. I took it nevertheless and bit down hard on my lip to keep from yelling out loud. She led me outside as we headed into the woods. Slightly into the forest, I stopped walking and Leah was jerked to a stop too.

"Leah, where are we going? You need to tell me what's going on right now." She stared into my face for a minute and sighed.

"I know you want to know what's going on, but I'm not the one who can explain..." She paused for a minute, thinking aloud. "Maybe... It's worth a shot. Stay right here. I'll be right back." Leah dropped my hand and took off into the vast sea of green.

I stood there for what felt like hours when something strange started to happen.

Suddenly, my stomach did a back flip and my legs started to crumble beneath me. I let out a weak groan and clutched my head which seemed as if a bomb had just exploded inside it. My heart began to race and blood rushed to my face and pressed up against my cheeks as if trying to break free of my face. As the burning sensation intensified, I hit the ground with a thud when I saw Leah.

"Seth!" She rushed over and tried to help me, but nothing she did stopped the agony. After a few minutes, it seemed, she helped me to my feet again.

"You need..." I started to demand, but the effectiveness of my voice was zero, "to tell me..." I continued panting, "what... is ... going ...on!" A sharp stabbing shot straight into my lungs. I gasped for air.

"Okay, I'll tell you..." she said, sitting me down on a fallen tree trunk, "but you have to promise me that you'll just listen to me."


	3. Chapter Three

"When haven't I listened to you?" I asked her, giving her my world - famous sneaky grin. She laughed but quickly looked away.

"What's the matter sis? Not allowed to laugh anymore?"

She smiled. "I just haven't laughed for so long that my laugh's become foreign to me."

"I can fix that," I replied, beaming. She laughed, but became serious again, quickly.

"Do you remember the stories that...that..." She stuttered on the very thought that had been haunting her for weeks.

"You don't have to-"

"Dad used to tell us?" she finished with a deep breath.

I smiled at her renewed confidence. "Of course I remember! And you know my favorite one!" I paused before we simultaneously said, "The wolves!"

"Yeah, exactly. Remember how Dad always said how-"

"Our family is descended from wolves? Uh...duh! What am I, an idiot? He mentioned it at least once a week!" I made a howling noise and we both laughed. Then, we heard a real howl in the distance and I flinched. Either she didn't hear it, or became a lot more courageous in the last few months because she continued to laugh.

"Good, you remember. And what were some of the qualities our ancestors between the wolf and people stages were famous for?"

"Well...they had extremely high body temperatures," I counted off on my fingers. They have really strong appetites for food, much like myself."

"Burger Boy," she teased.

"That's _Cheese_ Burger Boy to you. And they were huge! They needed to be because of their genes."

"And those genes are...?"

"One wolf gene, one human gene."

She raised an eyebrow at me and gave me her famous I-can't-believe-you-can't-figure-this-out looks. I know an answer in my mind, but she'd probably just roll her eyes at me and say, "You're not in some fantasy world of yours, you know."

"Leah, I don't have time for this! It's getting worse! What the heck are you trying to say? I'm some sort of half man, half wolf -" I stop in my tracks and the clouds clear in my mind's eye. "Wait... You're serious?!"

Think about everything we just went through! The high body temperature, sudden growth, impatience, one gene wolf, one human... Dad's been trying to tell us for years! We're descended from wolves! But we're also part human! You tell me what that adds up to!"

I stare back at her blankly wondering something, for the first time in my life; just maybe, she could be crazier than me. But what if she's right? If not, then she's totally lost her mind altogether. Which frankly, a small part of me is hoping she's right. I mean, come on! Who wouldn't want to have some tricked out claws and bloodstained teeth? That would be awesome! I decide to test my theory about her sanity.

"Really, Leah? Werewolves? I mean, come on! I know I'm stupid, but at least I'm not some high school, dropout hobo on the streets! There's no way-"

"Wanna bet? Come on," she said taking my hand again. This time, her hand seems slightly cooler than before.

We started to make our way into the deeper part of the woods. The air was still, and the ground was slightly damp from the melted snow. The forest became denser with tree limbs skimming our bodies with every move we made. I followed her for ten minutes through the silent wilderness before asking, "Where are we going?" She doesn't answer, but not even a minute later, I find my answer. The woods begin to thin out as we near the edge of the woods again. When we stood at the small cliff that led to a dirt road and then a single house by itself, I realized where we were.

"Emily's house?! Leah, have you completely lost it?! Then again, you are the one who thinks we're wolves, so I rest my case."

"Trust me. Everything is just like the way it used to be." She gave me a half smile. "It's fine."

She didn't realize that "it" wasn't what I was worrying about.


	4. Chapter Four

Leah led me to the wooden cottage on the outskirts of town. It's a lot bigger then our dump with two floors, some flowers outside on the window sill, and the smell of freshly baked cookies in the air. The warm mood of the place makes it seem welcoming again.

Yet, as we walk up to the front porch, I stop and realize how foreign Emily's house is to me now. I remember the way it looks, but the image I had of her house is so blurry now that I barely recognized it at all.

"Hey, guys! Guess who's on the brink of transformation?" Leah said, walking in the front door. She perched herself on a chair by the kitchen table and quickly grabbed a chocolate chip cookie from the plate. I looked around the room and saw Emily, Jacob, Quill, Embry, Paul, Jared, and (of course) Sam. They all turned their heads toward me and greeted me with friendly smiles.

"Hey! Look who it is!" Quill greeted. "What's up, Small Fry?" Quill and the others seemed to have grown to at least six feet. The scary part is that I'm not much shorter.

"Hey!" Jacob said, smiling. "Long time, no see little cuz!" he said, ruffling my hair.

"Hey Jacob! Good to see you guys! You guys...wow! You're all _huge!_" I gawked.

"Yeah, but you're catching up," Paul pointed out. "But of course, you'd never be able to take me in a fight."

"He might not be able to," Jacob interjected, "but I can." He smirked at him.

"You wanna go?" Paul stood up, starting to shake.

"Easy, big guy," Jared said, trying to calm him down. "You don't want to scare the newbie too much."

"Huh? What are you guys talking about?"

"You don't know yet, huh?" Sam inquired, taking a step toward me. I scowled at him for a minute with my eyes squinted and my fists clenched. He surprised me though because he wasn't scowling back nor did he seem upset that I did. He just watched me..._observed_ me.

"No. I don't."

"Then maybe it's time we give him a little...push?" he asked the group.

"Yeah!" they cheered at me.

"You can do this, Seth." Jacob whispered to me. "It's easy to transform. All you have to do is think of something to be mad at or focus on...well..._fur_." I cringed at the thought.

"I don't know if I'm ready for this... But I want to be!"

"Then let's get a move on!" Embry joined in.


	5. Chapter Five

Jacob led me back outside, (out the back door this time) and pushed me toward the open field of the backyard. Jacob stood me on one side of the yard while the others stood close to the house. He gripped my shoulders and nodded at me, reminding me what to do. Then, he stepped away to where the others were standing. "Alright, Seth! Show us what you got!"

I closed my eyes and clenched my fists. I focused on how depressed Leah's been lately. I thought about my dad. I thought about how upset everything has made me. Although, I didn't get mad.

I started crying.

My lungs ached for air as I took shallow, shuddering breaths. I felt little droplets of water fall down the sides of my face, and I fell to my knees. In the background, I heard the others talking.

"Seth, are you alright?" Leah called to me. I didn't answer.

"That does it! This kid needs a little push!" I barely heard Paul's loud, deep voice over my own sobs.

"No, he's hurt!" Jacob insisted.

"I'm the Alpha!" It was Sam who spoke this time. "I decide what we do and what happens to us!" Then I felt, not heard, thundering footsteps headed my way. When I felt them stop just a foot away from me, I looked up and saw Sam standing over me. He looked me in the eyes and said, "Leah...is a real pain, you know that?"

I didn't have time to think...just feel. I felt an implosion inside of my stomach and felt it ripple through me, coming outward. As the storming vibration rippled through my spine, I heard my clothes rip apart, starting with my back and making its way down my body. I felt something stretch out behind me, and then I saw and felt something a tan-brown color stretch out from my face. In another instant, I felt another ripple through my body, but this time, it was...fluffy. I closed my eyes shut tight and my body threw itself forward. When I landed on all fours, I felt my hands, legs, arms, and feet morph and shape painlessly. When I opened my eyes, everything felt...clear.

I could see the La Push beach all the way down the road, maybe five miles away. I heard the birds of my backyard at home all the way on the other side of the reservation. The scent of the salt from the ocean stung my nose slightly. I looked around and saw everyone huddled by the house still. Then, I looked up and saw Sam standing over me.

"Welcome to the pack." He said, gesturing toward a small pond a few feet away.

I knelt over the pond and saw a reflection. The creature standing before me was the color of sand with a black, wet nose, and pointed ears. I lifted my hand up and the image seemed to lift a paw with black, hooked knives for claws. The enormous animal seemed almost dopey for its size with its tongue hanging out of its mouth and smiling.

I turned back toward my friends...my family, and saw the different shades of color. Emily was standing next to the biggest, black wolf. One was a rust color, one snow-white, one ash-gray, dark brown, light brown, and one slightly smaller than the others with longer eyelashes than the rest. She smiled at me, and I smiled back.

_Welcome to the pack, little brother, _Leah thought.

_No way! Mind reading?_

_Trust me,_ Jacob thought, _it just gets worse from here._

_Worse? Are you kidding? This is better than I could have imagined!_

_Not when you have a job to do._ Paul interrupted me.

_What job? Werewolves have jobs?_

_A job, _Sam corrected. _We have to kill the vampire going after the townspeople._

_Sweet..._


	6. Notes on upcoming stories

I would just like to thank everyone who has read this story and complimented my writing style! That is really something special to me. Recently, I revised each chapter of Metamorphosis, and I just thought I'd let you all know it is now new and improved! Thanks so much for the reviews guys!

I would also like to let my readers know that I am in the works of doing an ongoing Avatar: The Last Airbender series. While, yes, it is about Zuko and I have a bunch of OC's, it really is a story dedicated to similar drama stories of the world of Avatar. If you read it, I'm sure you can relate some of the characters to the ones on the show, but all of the characters that aren't in the show are mine and mine, only. The story is post-show ending. I do not own Zuko or the idea of the show.

Furthermore, I have a few other stories that I'm considering posting while continuing Spiritflame.

I've been writing a Danny Phantom fan-fiction called, "Nicki Spirit," for the last year and a half now. I own both the character and the title. This one will probably be rated T because it does have a lot of violence in it; most will probably be equal to the violence of Spiritflame. This one is post-show ending as well. It won't be posted for awhile though, since I've decided to re-vamp it before I put it up. It originally was all about the drama, but then I realized that I only put three battle scenes in the entire two novels, (that's right, it's two _novel-length_ long books!).

I also have been working on an American Dragon: Jake Long fan-fiction about the only-mentioned-once twin sister Rose has. I'll warn you, it's a little hard to follow, but if you pay attention, it's worth reading. It entirely revolves around her, Jake and Rose, but I'm not gonna give any hints on what the storyline is. But the most complicated part about it is that this all takes place _during, _I repeat, _during_ the show. It's basically what would have happened in season two if they paid any attention to Rose's twin. I don't own the physical character, but I own her personality, looks as a teenager, and everything else about her.

Finally, I started to write a Pokemon fan-fiction about Misty and what's been happening to her while Ash in Sinnoh. Yes, it is an Ash/Misty pairing, but even if you don't like them together, it's still worth reading, so at least give it a try, pleeeeeeeeeease? This one obviously takes place during the current time of the show, so as you watch it, everything that's happening to Ash has occurred in the fic. There aren't any OC's in this one at all.

One last bit: In between all of these, I've been thinking about doing some song-fictions, and some short one-shots about what happened to some of the characters after the shows ended.

I hope to hear your opinions on my polls soon!

Sincerely,

~Nikaya~


End file.
